Thousands of people have joined anti-government demonstrations across Poland, as a divided country marked the 35th anniversary of the imposition of martial law by the then communist regime.

Leaders of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy (KOD) – which organised the “citizens’ strike” – argue that the illiberal agenda of the ruling rightwing Law and Justice party (PiS) threatens to reverse democratic gains made since 1989.

Anti-government demonstrators carrying Polish and European flags gathered at the former headquarters of the Polish Communist party and marched to the nearby headquarters of Law and Justice, in an explicit attempt to draw a connection between the authoritarian rule during the Soviet-imposed Polish People’s Republic and the current government’s ongoing attempts to control or dismantle the country’s independent democratic institutions.

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“History has come full circle,” Władysław Frasyniuk, a former anti-Communist dissident imprisoned by the Communist regime in the 1980s, told protestors at the beginning of the demonstration.

The protests were condemned by Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who described them as “anti-state in character, in fact we are dealing with a crime”. He promised the government would attempt to “civilise” the opposition.

The anniversary is an uncomfortable one for Kaczyński; unlike thousands of other anti-Communist activists, including his twin brother Lech, he was not interned by the authorities during the imposition of martial law.

Aware of their vulnerability to the charge that they are exploiting what remains a highly sensitive historical episode, KOD leaders stressed that they had taken the decision to protest because of a series of anti-democratic measures presently under consideration by the government.

“Even a few weeks ago, I would have preferred to spend the day reflecting on the events of 1981,” said Piotr Wieczorek, KOD’s plenipotentiary for national action.

Government supporters hold portraits of some of the victims of the 1981 martial law and shout slogans at the passing anti-government march. Photograph: Alik Keplicz/AP

A key concern of demonstrators was government proposals under consideration by the Polish parliament to restrict the right to freedom of assembly.

If enacted, priority would be given to regular demonstrations and those organised by state or church authorities, with restrictions placed upon counter-demonstrations and one-off protests so as to make anti-government protests more difficult to organise.

“These amendments should not be adopted as such, as they would restrict unnecessarily and in a disproportionate way the possibility for a large part of the population to enjoy their human right to freedom of assembly,” Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, said in a statement last week.

Government critics have also voiced concerns about Law and Justice’s continuing stand-off with Poland’s constitutional tribunal, the country’s highest constitutional court. Since assuming office in 2015 Andrzej Duda, Poland’s PiS-aligned president, has refused to swear in judges appointed by the previous government, while the present government has refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of a number of the court’s rulings.

But the government looks set to emerge victorious after the term of the president of the court, Andrzej Rzepliński, expires on 19 December, paving the way for PiS appointees to assume control of the most important institutional check on executive power.

“Earlier this year we were up to our ankles in shit, and now we are up to our knees,” said Wieczorek. “What else can we do but exercise our democratic right to protest?”